Hand-lever.



|. F. SELSTROM.

HAND LEVER.. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. 1911,.

Patented Feb. 26, 1918.

ATTORNEY X n TI tit;

HAND-LEVER.

Application filed March 28, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, IVAN F. SELsTRoM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockett in the county of Cascade and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Levers, of

which the following is a specification.

I'll

structed in accordance with my invention.

This invention ielates'to manually operated levers and more particularly to locking means which may be associated with the lever of any ordinary wagon brake.

An object of this invention is to provide means engageable with the brake lever of a wagon or other vehicles, to prevent accidental movement of the same, as is frequently occasioned by the jolting of the wagon body when the vehicle is in motion.

Another object is to provide a device of the character mentioned which can be readily applied to brake levers now in use, without necessitating any modification of the latter.

A further object is to provide a device ofthe character described, the several parts of which are of such simple construction, that the cost of manufacture will be reasonably low.

The above and additional objects, as well.

as the construction, arrangement and operation of the parts, of the preferred form of my invention, Wlll be more clearly understood from the following specification and accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a to plan view of a portion of a conventional orm-of wagon and illus-' trates the application of the device con- Fig. 2 isa side view. Fig. 3 is an end view and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through the spring housing.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates a quadrant having its laterally extending side portions 2 and 3 equipped with downwardly extending base portions 41: and 5 b means of which the quadrant is secure to the wagon body as shown in Fig. I. The quadrant is further provided on one of its lateral margins with a toothed rack 6, adapted to be engaged by the brake lever 7 which is secured to the wa on. in the usual manner.-

. For the urpose o preventing thebrake lever 7 rpm becoming accidentally disenaged from the rack 6, when once engaged Specification of Letters Patent.

- elongated to Patented reuse, iei.

Serial N0. 153,003.

' the quadrant. The bar 8 engages and exerts a yielding pressure against the lever? and has its opposite ends received in suitable housings 9 and 10, mounted on the opposing sides of the quadrant as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The housings 9 and 10 may be cast, stamped from sheet metal or otherwise formed, and each comprises atop, side and end walls, the latter being provided with outwardly extending foot members adapted to be fastened to the sides of the quadrant. In the preferred form shown, each otthe housings are formed from a single piece of metal bent to form the top 11, sides 12 and end walls 13 the latter being equipped at their lower marginal edges with outwardly turned foot portions 14. One side ot' each housing is out or otherwise provided with aslot 15.

In the assembled view shown in Fig. 1 the housings are secured to the lateral sides of the quadrant by means of suitable tastening means engaging the foot portions 1t and are so disposed that the slotted sides of the housing opposite the slotted end and the 7 other termmal engaging the end of the rod 8 and normally forcing the same to the limit of the slots 15 the latter The l sucientlly permit the necessary movement 0t sai rod. I

The rod 8 when forced to the limit of the slots 15 by the sprin within the housings 9 and I0, exerts sucient' pressure against the lever? to keep'the sanriev firy in engagement with the rack 6 and prevent any accidental movement oi the said lever. To operate the lever in the usual manner it is only necessary to pull the same in the direction of the rod 8 with suficient force to over come the resistance of the springs, and the lever may then be moved to the required position. Fig. 4 shows the preIerred manner of adapting the ends of the rod. 8 tor engagement with the springs. The end of the rod, positioned withm the honsin is shaped to provide a bearing a ainst which an end of the spring abuts, as indicated at It.

rot

Illd

I do not lumit myself to the space construction shown but reserve the right to resort, to such changes in the form and arrangement of the parts as may come within the scope of the appended claims.

I -cla1m:

1. The combination with a toothed rack having side portions adapted to be secured to a support, a lever movable into and out of engagement with said teeth, a housing secured upon each of said side portions,

springs arranged within said housing, a rod bearmg against said lever and having its opposite ends received in said housing and adapted to be engaged by said springs, said rod normally holding said lever in engagement with the rack. j

2. A device of the character described, including a rack bar, a lever movable into and out of engagement with said rack bar, casings mounted on said rack bar, springs positioned within said casings, and a rod having its opposite ends movably mounted in said casings and engaged by said springs, said rod contacting with said lever.

3. A locking device including a toothed rackbar having its ends bent at right angle and extended in parallelism, a casing mounted "upon each of said angular ends, said casings being provided with opposing slots, a pressure bar supported in parallelism with the toothed portion of said first mentioned bar and having its opposite ends slidably mounted in said slot, and springs positioned in each of said casings and engaging the ends of said bar.

4. A locking device, including a toothed rack bar havmg angularl extended end portions, a casing mounted said end portions and having a slot formed therein, a pressure bar supported between said casings and having its ends received in said slots, enlargements formed on the ends of said bars, and springs positioned in each of said casings and engaging said enlargements.

In testimon whereof I aifix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

Fnos 'r P. Snns'moM, Ano ANTHONY.

upon each of i 

